In this episode of Val-You Based Care, Dr. Kimberly Ku sits down with Dr. Justin Kline to explore what it truly means to collaborate across healthcare systems—and why trust, not transactions, is the foundation of excellent patient care.

Together, they examine the space between academic medicine and community practice, highlighting how thoughtful communication between providers directly shapes the patient experience. From navigating referrals to overcoming system-level barriers, this conversation reframes collaboration as a relational responsibility rather than an operational task.

The discussion also dives into innovation in lab medicine and outpatient operations, including how advanced therapies can be delivered closer to home under academic guidance. The episode closes with a forward-looking message for trainees and future healthcare leaders: build relationships, stay curious, and remember that the care patients feel most is often found beyond the chart.

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

1:50 - Challenging times for academic medicine

10:11 - Access to quality care

20:50 - Dr. LoConte's publication "I Want to Kill You"

28:40 - Preparing for the darker side of medicine

38:55 - Dr. Buzzkill

46:49 - Medicine teaches us to be perfect

48:27 - Advice for those in pre-medicine

52:27 - Closing remarks

In our latest installment of Val-You Based Care, Dr. Kimberly Ku welcomes Dr. Julie Chang of SSM Health System for a deeply reflective conversation about mentorship, authenticity, and redefining success in medicine.

Dr. Chang is a leader known not for flash or charisma, but for steadiness, clarity, and core values. Throughout her career, she has mentored others with a simple but powerful philosophy: people are people—not titles, labels, or roles. Whether mother, physician, leader, or colleague, she sees individuals first and helps them grow into the best version of themselves—not into someone else’s mold.

Together, Dr. Ku and Dr. Chang explore what it means to communicate directly without people-pleasing, to lead without ego, and to embrace diversity not as a slogan, but as a lived reality. Dr. Chang also shares her decision to pivot to part-time work in order to prioritize family—an honest look at the tension between ambition and presence in a profession that often feels like a treadmill.

This episode is a powerful reminder that meaningful leadership isn’t loud. It’s steady. It’s values-driven. And sometimes, it requires the courage to step back in order to be fully present.

For anyone navigating career growth, mentorship, motherhood, or leadership in healthcare, this conversation offers grounded wisdom and practical insight for becoming a real person in a world that often pressures us to perform.

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

1:12 - Julie's deep influence as a mentor

6:50 - Being authentically present for someone else

15:16 - Understanding people's boundaries and sense overwhelm

22:56 - Breakthroughs via community work

30:50 - The "other" part of our lives

39:15 - Leveraging AI within patient care

46:47 - Self-discovery throughout our medical journeys

49:30 - Closing remarks

In Episode 3 of Val-You Based Care, Dr. Kimberly Ku is joined by Dr. Chadi Nabhan—physician, thought leader, and host of Healthcare Unfiltered—for a wide-ranging conversation about what honest, timely communication in medicine really looks like.

Dr. Ku first encountered Dr. Nabhan as a conference moderator, where his clarity, authenticity, and command of complex conversations immediately stood out. That same presence carries into this episode as the two explore how storytelling, trust, and thoughtful communication shape meaningful patient care.

Together, they unpack why simply following guidelines and data isn’t enough—and how story, context, and human connection help patients understand their care in ways that numbers alone cannot. Dr. Nabhan shares patient stories, reflects on the skills that define masterful communicators in medicine, and discusses why community-based physicians often excel at forming deep, lasting patient relationships.

The conversation also takes on the modern pressure of FOMA—the fear of missing anything—in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. While new tools and innovations emerge daily, Dr. Nabhan makes the case for staying grounded in what truly works: honest conversations, relational care, and earned trust.

This episode is a powerful reminder that the most effective medicine happens at the intersection of expertise, authenticity, and communication—and that progress doesn’t always mean chasing what’s new, but strengthening what matters.

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction

1:39 - Honest and timely conversations in medicine

9:20 - The power of story within the medical field

17:37 - Treating communication as its own skill in medicine

24:50 - How do we quantify masterful communication?

31:53 - "To be honest"

35:44 - Being a lifelong learner

39:19 - Closing remarks